This invention relates to ambulance cots and in particularly, to a multi-level roll-in ambulance cot having a kickstand.
Ambulance cots typically comprise an essentially rectangular patient support frame with wheeled collapsible-leg assemblies enabling the stretcher to be stowed or loaded into the back of an ambulance. Examples of such prior art cots are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,097,941, 4,192,541, 4,767,148, 5,537,700, and 5,575,026. Although the prior art cots have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all aspects.
Patients transported on an ambulance cot often need to be weighed as part of a medical check upon admittance to a hospital or other health care facility. Due to the size of the wheelbase of a cot and the size of platform scales generally found in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, or rehabilitation centers, patients typically must either stand on the platform scale or be placed in a wheelchair in order to be weighed. For many of these individuals, standing or being transferred from the ambulance cot to a wheelchair is difficult, or impossible, to accomplish. Consequently, forgoing the weighing of such patients has become commonplace, which can degrade the quality of medical care provided to them.